The Hotel runs tours from Kahta to Nemrut everyday for 125 tl per person, includes long nemrut tours + accomodation + breakfasts. The hotel runs also daily urfa harran tours for 110 tl per person.

The Hotel runs tours from Kahta to Nemrut everyday for 125 tl per person, includes long nemrut tours + accomodation + breakfasts. The hotel runs also daily urfa harran tours for 110 tl per person.

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* <sleep name="Karadut Pension" alt="nemrut tours" address="karadut köyü kahta " directions="12 km from the top of the mountain, in a small village named Karadut" phone="0090 416 73721 69 (ask for the Bayram (the owner))" url="" checkin="" checkout="" price="30 TL/bed/night and includes breakfast" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">This is a really nice pension. The staff is very friendly and the food is excellent. Dinner 10 TL. There are great hikes you can do around the mountain side. Tour around the area + sunset at the top 50 TL per person. They will drive you up to Nemrut for 40 lira per car.

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* <sleep name="Karadut Pension" alt="nemrut tours .(by_cinar02@hotmail.com" address="karadut köyü kahta" directions="12 km from the top of the mountain, in a small village named Karadut" phone="0090 416 737 21 69 (ask for the Bayram (the owner))" url="www.karadutpansiyon.net" checkin="" checkout="" price="30 TL/bed/night and includes breakfast" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">This is a really nice pension. The staff is very friendly and the food is excellent. Dinner 10 TL. There are great hikes you can do around the mountain side. Tour around the area + sunset at the top 50 TL per person. They will drive you up to Nemrut for 40 lira per car.

Camping costs 5-10tl. Kitchen is usable. [Personal Experience: Owners pushed a bit to write good reviews, make advertisment and even to get on the street to talk to other travellers, besides from that they're nice and prices are reasonable.]</sleep>

Camping costs 5-10tl. Kitchen is usable. [Personal Experience: Owners pushed a bit to write good reviews, make advertisment and even to get on the street to talk to other travellers, besides from that they're nice and prices are reasonable.]</sleep>

Revision as of 17:23, 1 November 2012

Kahta, on lake of Atatürk Dam is a good base to explore the area and Mount Nemrut from, although there's not a lot of life in the town itself.

Indeed Kahta should be the main base for visiting Nemrut. There is also another way to Nemrut from Malatya. However the trip from Kahta to Nemrut will include a sightseeing of Karakuş Hill, Arsemia Castle, and ancient Kahta Castle. All of these attractions are included in the National Park. Hence, a visit to Nemrut is shorter and more valuable if done from Kahta.

Contents

Get in

There are frequent dolmuş services from Adıyaman, which depart every 15 minutes until around 22:00 (3 TL).

The nearest airport is in Adıyaman, about 15 km away, which has connections from many cities in Turkey. AnadoluJet, which is sub division of Turkish Airlines flies from Ankara ESB International Airport to Adıyaman on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Flights depart at 6:55PM and arrive at 8:05PM to Adıyaman.

There are five bus companies serving Kahta from many cities in Turkey.

Get around

You can walk pretty much everywhere in town.

See

Do

Visit Black Bird Hill (Karakuş Tepesi), the Roman Bridge, Arsemia.

Watch sunset and sunrise on Mt Nemrut.

Buy

Eat

There are plenty of good options for Southeastern Anatolian food. You may try Papatya Restaurant int the city center for kebab and other red meat/chicken food. However do not forget to eat fish at the restaurants in the shore of the Atatürk Dam (Baraj as called in Kahta). Especially Zeynel'in Yeri is good choice. Fish from the dam itself and from Kahta river should be tried. Yayın (a fatty freshwater fish) and Sarıgöz are pretty delicious fish. These restaurants also serve alcoholic drinks, including raki which is a good company with fish.

Drink

Sleep

Plenty of accommodation, but don't trust the hotel managers. Ask around at different offices about the tours to Nemrut, and at the bus station about getting out of town once you're done.

Zeus Hotel - 4 star hotel.

Hotel Nemrut - 4 star hotel.

Kommagene Wooden Hotel The Hotel Website - . The old Kommagene Hotel is demolished and the owner ( Emin) turned it to a Wooden House.

There are single rooms 70 tl per person, Double Rooms 120 tl per room, Triple Rooms 160 tl per room.
Phone Number of Hotel manager is " phone="+90 532 200 38 56 ask for irfan . " email="admin@nemruttours.info
The hotel has also camping site, 10 tl per caravan,10 tl per tent that includes electricity, shower and toilet.
The Hotel runs tours from Kahta to Nemrut everyday for 125 tl per person, includes long nemrut tours + accomodation + breakfasts. The hotel runs also daily urfa harran tours for 110 tl per person.

Karadut Pension (nemrut tours .(by_cinar02@hotmail.com), karadut köyü kahta (12 km from the top of the mountain, in a small village named Karadut), ☎0090 416 737 21 69 (ask for the Bayram (the owner)), [1]. This is a really nice pension. The staff is very friendly and the food is excellent. Dinner 10 TL. There are great hikes you can do around the mountain side. Tour around the area + sunset at the top 50 TL per person. They will drive you up to Nemrut for 40 lira per car. Camping costs 5-10tl. Kitchen is usable. [Personal Experience: Owners pushed a bit to write good reviews, make advertisment and even to get on the street to talk to other travellers, besides from that they're nice and prices are reasonable.]30 TL/bed/night and includes breakfast.

Stay safe

A common scam in the town is that the hotel managers may give incorrect information about bus schedules to make travelers stay at their hotels longer. Double-check with the bus companies yourself.

Having said that, though, Kahta is a fairly safe area. You can just go out, take a walk to Atatürk Dam, have a very nice dinner in fish restaurants just next to the dam, and enjoy the cool air in the night.

Some travellers report being misled by the local tourist/information office, so if you're concerned about this possibility, try to cross-check information or advice they give you.
karadut pension telephone number is not real
real number 0090 416 737 21 69

Get out

Mount Nemrut (Nemrut dagi)

Mount Nemrut: Head from statue

The Mount Nemrut tomb-sanctuary was probably built for king Antiochus Theos of Kommagene who believed he was a descendant of Apollo, in the
first part of the first century BC. The main feature is a tumulus (tomb hill) about 50 meters high, underneath which it is thought, the tomb itself is located. It is also thought that it will be as rich as any of the tombs of Egypt.

However, you have to be prepared to get up early (at about 2.30) if you want to see the sunrise. It's quite a distance from the mountain and it's best if you have your own transport or arrange a guided tour.

Around the Tumulus are two main terraces; the big eastern terrace, and the smaller western terrace. These might have been used for religeous and other ceremonies due to the astronomical and religeous nature of the monument. A bas-relief has been found on the western terrace of a lion and the planets Mars, Jupiter and Mercury as they would have been on july 7, 62 BCE, the possible starting date of the complex' construction.

Big seated statues, 8 to 9 meters high of Antiochus himself, Hercules, Zeus-Orosmasdes (associated with the Persian god Ahura-Mazda) and a few other greek and Persian deieties along with two lions and two eagles, line these terraces. Since their erection, the heads have toppeled from the bodies which remain at their original positions and lay scattered throughout the site. In more recent times they have been put back at their assumed original positions (albeit without the bodies) so they can once again face the sunrise and sunset. The arrangement of the statues (or in this case heads) is known as a hierothesion.

Currently, restoration work is being done on the statues which will continue until at least 2010. There are also plans to move at least some of the monuments to a museum.

The Summit is 2150 meter above sea level and provides a great view of the surrounding mountains and even Ataturk lake. The main attraction is to watch the sunrise from the eastern terrace which give the bodyless heads a beautyful orange hue and adds to the sense of mystery of the place.

If going up Nemrut to see the sunrise, bring warm clothing with you because it can get cold up there (even in summer) since the summit is at about 2150 meters.

Transport: There ara tours from Kahta that is running to Nemrut Everyday. You can contact to the Mezopotamya Travel +90 416 725 97 26 / +90 532 200 38 56 for the tours. You can take only Tour for 75 Tl per person or 125 tl that is also including breakfast and accomodation in kahta.The tours take you first Karakuş Tumulus, Cendere Bridge, Old Kahta Castle, Arsemi and Nemrut. It takes usually whole day and you can watch sun set or sun rise during the tour.
OR You can get with a dolmuş from Kahta at least to the village of Karadut and maybe a bit more up. From there it's still a 12 km walk up, which you can try to hitchhike. The owner of the Karadut Pension might also hang around at the bus station and offer to take you for 5 TL.

Another way to get to Karadut is to walk to the other otogar, taking the dolmus to "Gargar" and asking to get dropped off in Karadut. It runs about once an hour, maybe once every two hours.

Climate: Till April there's still snow, so you cant see the statues fully. Before April the roads might be blocked.